So I kind of live in a pop-cultural vacuum, and often rely on the kindness of my friends to fill me in. Example: the following exchange, which happened in January.

Me: Hey guys, what’s this song?
Exasperated friends: Uh, this is “Empire State of Mind.” By Jay Z. Featuring Alicia Keys.
Me: Really? It’s pretty good.
Exasperated Friends: No shit. It was the number one single on three different Billboard charts in November.

So this weekend, when I saw this commercial for the first time, I was totally amazed:

Evidently it’s a revisitation of this commercial, which came out this time last year (in other words, just in time for Lent. Don’t think we don’t know you’re catering to lazy Catholics, McDonalds):

This means I’m only about a YEAR out of the loop. Not too bad, right? I love this for so many reasons. One, the singing animatronic fish is protesting the guy eating him. I wish there was a specific word for when animals are anthropomorphized to discuss/protest our consumption of them. It happens more often than you would think, for it being such uncomfortable trope.

Second, I love how idiotically catchy the song is. The slurred vocals, the crappy synth accompaniment. It’s more or less perfect. Which probably explains this:

And why this is somehow less funny:

A few years ago dj BC made a great album of Wu Tang tracks mixed with New Orleans brass, and called it Wu Orleans. In honor of Mardi Gras, I’m going to share it with you today. Two of my favorite tracks, plus the full album as a zip file:

“Boxing Fats Domino”

“Bogalusa Shimmy”

Wu Orleans Album (.zip file)

I am totally in love with Canada as a country and their national identity after watching the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Games. And also, I want to send the public speaking textbooks that my friend Rebekah sent me to John Furlong, who gave perhaps the worst large-scale public speech I have ever seen. Totally check out the transcript. Some beauts from it:

You are role models for our children – heroes – giants–human champions – the best ever.

You are living proof that men and women everywhere are capable of doing great good. (Doesn’t he mean grood?)

And tonight the longest domestic torch relay in Olympic history ends in this Stadium after an epic, unforgettable journey of discovery – across a land visually blessed – rich in history — and profoundly human. (Visually blessed? Profoundly human?)

And my favorite, invoking Harry Potter #4: As the Olympic Cauldron is lit – the unique magic of the Olympic Games will be released upon us. Magic so rare that it cannot be controlled by borders – The kind of magic that invades the human heart.

Seriously dude. Did you not have anyone double check your speech before you read it? Oh well. The rest of the opening ceremony was fucking awesome. Some guy doing aerial dancing to Joni Mitchell singing that Judy Collins song “Both Sides Now.” A bunch of punk kids doing riverdance. k.d. fucking lang singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Wayne Gretzky. And some other crazy shit that I probably forget now. Plus every famous Canadian ever, except for Celine Dion, who evidently was in a hospital trying to get fertilized. Oh, and maple leaves. A metric shit-ton of maple leaves. Hooray for the Olympics!